How the plastic bottle cap became a parable for the value of EU regulation

In an op-ed published by The Guardian, law professeur at HEC Paris Alberto Alemanno argues that the EU’s regulatory framework is a strategic asset rather than a drag on competitiveness. Using the bloc’s tethered bottle-cap rule as a case study, he contends that European regulation has shaped global corporate behaviour and warns that dismantling these standards in the name of deregulation would weaken Europe’s economic sovereignty while primarily benefiting US interests.